Posts from July 2011

Some food porn in the form of a quinoa salad (in a popcorn bowl!)



Basic Recipe
quinoa (1 1/4 cup dry & double the water)
1/2 an english cucumber, chopped
1/2 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
5 scallions, sliced
1 carrot, grated
3 radishes, chopped finely
feta cheese
2 - 3 tablespoons seasoned (basil & oregano) rice wine vinegar
1 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
salt & pepper to taste

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Thank you, Honey Hill Pet Center[link]http://www.honeyhillpets.com/][/link] for the red bottom temporary solution!

Here is what the end results of my little rats have done:

Emily close up


Amelia close up


Amelia at her food bowl


Emily being timid in the corner of the cage

@paul's post, @paul #54773 reminds me that we really need to find a good, reliable but inexpensive contractor/builder/handyman to completely rebuild our front porch.

Anyone know anyone or want the job?

@tinypliny, i just snapped a couple of quick shots of the girls back in their cage. Wish they were better, but i was in a wee hurry (i have to go to work very soon and i STILL haven't showered!).

This is Emily, in her hammock, stretching after a long tiring day of escaping and hiding


This is Amelia's squinting look -- the one that tells me, "i don't know about you weird giant furless rat things!"

This weekend my 'rents came to town for a day.

I think my mom STILL wants to see your place, @PMT, 'cause she still hasn't and i drove her by your place when you first moved in.

I digress.

The main reason for the visit was a rare weekend day off for me and to go to the zoo to feed the Lorikeets, something my mother and i adore doing.

This year, with the diminishing flock, they have been less interactive.

But i found out they love the sweat from my brow. Two landed on my head and spent many minutes licking my forehead. Very interesting indeed.


Before going to work on Thursday night, @uncutsaniflush noticed something very surprising. "The Girls" gnawed a hole in their cage bottom.

Here was our quick fix from the outside.



As soon as i could, i went out and got some things to help with the chew issue they have. They are still afraid of us and they still refuse to allow me to pick them up (will i EVER have a pet i can cuddle!??!?!). I got some anti-chew stuff to spray in places they might want to chomp and was planning on ordering a new pan for the cage.

Then, this morning, @uncutsaniflush found a new hole near the old hole and no girls. Amelia and Emily have escaped.

Here is what the inside of the cage looked like.



We have repaired it and left food and water for them. There have been sightings, but since they do not want me to hold them, i cannot imagine how i would be able to catch them. Rats are quick.

While surfing around tonight for some old thing or other i can barely remember, i ended up spending far too much time looking at tattoos of Ganesha.

So beautiful. Inspiring.

Great idea for a tattoo, Ganesha, among the many i have, including orange and blue nautical stars (orange for me, blue for @uncutsaniflush; complimentary favorite colours, how can we not be made for each other?).

Like a responsible person, i think long and hard about getting something that permanent put on my body.

But, i really am facing some obstacles right now and i really want to represent something that will help me get past them that has beauty and meaning to me. And not have to wait while i decide of it should be permanent....

So, i thought... HENNA! Anyone know of a good place to get a henna tattoo? The Googlewebs gave me one place, in Grand Island.....

I must have done something awful in a past life or lives....

I cannot think of a day in recent history that i have come home from work and not burst into tears.

The job itself is stressful enough just dealing with the people we care for.

To top it off my bosses jerk me around by doing simple things like not approving and sending in my paperwork so i can get paid in time or waiting for me to request days off to go to the fucking dentist then making sure i work those days without "disapproving" my official requests that were in weeks ahead of time.

Being part time, i have a constant revolving door of a schedule. A schedule that (according to union rules on schedule notification) is always always always late.

So, i make appointments based on previous days off i have had, fill out the correct paperwork to ask for the days off 3 and 4 weeks ahead of time and magically, at the last second, i find out i am indeed working exactly when i asked for time off.

Scheduling is exactly why i left my last placement.

So many people tell me i am grateful to have a job.

Will i be grateful for the stress related heart attacks too?

Who has been asking me to take a picture of all my Converse All-Stars together for almost as long as i have known her.

Well, i just finished putting all my shoes on the newly polyurethaned custom shoe shelves in the wee cubby in the entrance to my almost fully completed walk-in closet.

As you can see, @tinypliny, i still have room for expansion. I only have 56 pairs (less that i thought!). And a couple of pairs of shoes that ARE NOT Converse All-Stars! *gasp!*

Amelia and Emily

I've made a wee bit of progress with them... perhaps they will not be afraid of me forever. They both licked some plain yogurt from a spoon i was holding. And they both took a small bit of strawberry i had in my hand.

My Walk-In Closet

I am seeing the beginning of the end with my closet. We need to put up some UV blocking stuffs on the window and i want to get some sort of window treatment. Once that is done, i can hang up my jewelry hanger thingie. We got a new double hamper. And today i polyurethaned the top and two sides of my custom shoe shelves; tomorrow the bottom and the other 2 sides. I want to get some hooks to put up robes and stuff like that.... Then, perhaps a bit of artwork if there is some space left, just to look even prettier.